By Dr. Eddie Moore Jr. & Dr. Rita S. Fierro
The Privilege Institute has been holding the White Privilege Conference (WPC) since 1999. That was the same year Dr. Rita arrived at Temple for her masters thesis research.
There’s a perspective that being in the work for decades offers: Backlash is simply part of the process. It goes hand in hand with gains, just like inhaling and exhaling. Overt backlash isn’t new, our last wave began in 2002. Backlash requires prioritizing different things.
Stronger you.
Do whatever self-care you need to do to stop the panic wave that makes you feel overwhelmed and disempowered. The pain of the world is hooking into your pain. The injustice of the world is hooking into the injustices done against you. So grieve. Grieve the little one that was treated unjustly, misunderstood, mistreated. Grieve and let it go. Treat yourself well. Do self-care until you’re actually calm. Whether it’s meditation, yoga, reiki, spa day, good food, walk, exercise or just sleeping — let yourself be. Turn off the chatter, step away from the panic. When we’re in a state of panic and overwhelm, oppression and oppressors win.
More integrity.
The current discourse of backlash aims at normalizing scapegoating. Historically, we’ve seen that scapegoating unites people around fear and coalesces them towards a sense of urgency that fosters inhumanity and cruelty. The way to block the scapegoating is to own the aspect of humanity that is being projected unto the scapegoat. It’s a common group dynamic (Read Rita’s blog on scapegoating from 2017). Groups shy away from scapegoating where each owns the discomfort. Instead of blaming other people for scapegoating, attempt to self-reflect how that aspect shows up in you and share about it.
Better listening. Know your audience.
As people who have been social justice educators for sometime, one thing is true as it is for every other area of education: you must know your audience. The way you talk about social justice with a person who just began their social justice journey is not the same way you approach someone who’s been in it for decades. Listen for where people are and try to take them a step further. If you go out the gate with “only white people can be racist” to someone who is just beginning to see systemic racism it’s not only wrong, but it’s counterproductive: this strategy causes Moore harm than good and could shift that person to backlash.
#Moore strategic and accountable community for you. Get clear about what support you need. Consider having a support group and an accountability group. One is where you go for expressing emotions, one where you go for knowledge, accountability, and strategy. Have a group of people you check-in with and look for patterns. Community is essential. Put aside your ego and commit to collaborating Moore. Now is the time we need to work together. On the strategy front, stop relying on the news alone, do collective meaning-making with others. Look for patterns and collective intelligence that’s bigger than your own brain.
Conclusion
We are stronger together and better than the backlash we face. Remember to inhale and exhale as we experience gains and backlash.
Dr. Eddie Moore Jr.
Founder and Executive Director
Dr. Rita S. Fierro
Newsletter Editor
Komentar